Most Carls take 18 credits per term, which equates to three classes. Each of these classes usually has a final, either an exam or a paper. What many incoming students aren’t aware of is the secret fourth final — while it seems unofficial and informal, the quality of your end-of-term instagram photo dump is of the utmost importance. Since your success in this final will be heavily considered when forming groups for class projects, making linkedin connections or even room draw groups, it seemed necessary to provide advice, for the sake of all who post or scroll on instagram. 

The first thing you should know is that even though instagram allows users to add up to 20 photos to a post, more than 12 is simply unbecoming. This limit makes using those pictures wisely essential. 

Without further ado, here’s the Carletonian’s handy recipe for the perfect fall post.

• 1-3 photos of nature; this should be largely oriented towards fall foliage, though you may include one close-up of a plant if you feel it is absolutely necessary. At least one of these images should include a three-quarter angle of Skinner Memorial Chapel.Frankly, if you leave out the blurry chapel pic, you may as well open your transfer applications now.
• 1 sunset photo – this could also be a good place to include the chapel or the water tower.
• 1+ mirror selfies with particularly noteworthy mirrors, such as on first nourse or in the third libe bathrooms. Avoid clean mirrors for these selfies — the grimier, the better. If you’re using more than one mirror selfie, one should be a fit check, and one should be a going out look.
• 1 picture of you with a horrendously large group of people who can’t possibly all get along; your floor, your freshman fall friend group, or your club sport team all work here. Bonus points if you all hate each other by the time you post!
• 1 picture of you (and possibly 2-3 friends) at some event or location that is slightly niche but signals coolness to a particular group of people. The KRLX studio works well for this, but sports socials and dorm lounges can also be used. 
• 2+ shots of you and one friend going out. You will be given bonus points for not editing out the red eyes from your one friend’s digicam. For these pictures, it’s almost impossible to fail; blur, angle, and composition will not be held against you, as long as it’s clear you spent time on your hair and wore a cute top.
• 1 (optional) picture of something else with particular individual significance – your favorite building, the arb, or town are all options. This is a moment to demonstrate your proficiency in photography, and show general character depth.
• 1 photo of the northern lights. Sorry if you didn’t get one, but this is just about the easiest route to passing this test with flying colors. People who really want a high GPA will download apps that tell them what nights the lights are likely to be out. It’s a sure way to make your friends who went to University in the big city jealous. There’s simply nothing else that can do the job.

Once you’ve collected these ingredients, it is crucial to find a good order. Open a picture of you with 2-3 other people; end with either a silly photo of yourself (and have your northern lights/sunset photo as the penultimate image). Otherwise, the combination of images in the middle is entirely up to you, as the council of judges has asked us to keep some of their criteria private.

It’s crucial to remember that this is a serious matter; your next chance won’t come until March. Yes, it will determine who you sit next to in your dreadful intro class next term, but it’s so much more than that; it will determine how everyone perceives you for the rest of your life. 

People who do well on their photo dumps often end up making 10% more in their first 5 years out of college, according to a study we did.It’s not entirely clear what the connection is, but the Carletonian is doing research to determine whether the college administration has any hand in compensating or generally giving help to any students’ whose photos are so aesthetic that they aid recruitment. This research will follow on the tail of the scandal three years ago of the college paying students a stipend to post good northern lights flicks with Carleton location tags, so it would not be surprising. 

When you go to make your post on the bus to the airport in a few weeks, keep this recipe in mind: your future could truly depend on it.